Party leader Wood criticised following Barcelona attacks

RIGHT of centre political parties in Wales have responded with outrage to a social media message from the leader of Plaid Cymru in the aftermath of the attacks in Barcelona last week.

Shortly after the attack, Leanne Wood posted a picture of the incident, accompanied by the comment: ‘Ofnadwy / terrible. Is this more far right terrorism? My thoughts are with all those affected’.

34 people were killed or injured in the attack on Las Ramblas on Thursday, and at the time of writing the suspected driver of the vehicle involved was still at large. Four people suspected of being connected to the attacks have been arrested, and a further seven killed.

While IS has claimed responsibility for the attacks, it is not currently known whether the perpetrators were members of the organisation, or influenced by it.

Ms Wood’s comment was seized on by a number of commentators. She posted a picture of some comments posted on Twitter, including one from ‘controversial’ Daily Mail columnist Katie Hopkins, who left her job at LBC through mutual consent after calling for a ‘final solution’ in the aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing.

A number of those who attacked the politician on Twitter included US-based users like ‘@cheezdog’ whose other posts included criticizing the non-existent leftwing organisation Antifa for their conduct at Charlottesville. Many of the other commentators appeared to be united by a dislike for Muslims; football, and a penchant for retweeting Tommy Robinson.

However, Welsh politicians, including the leaders of two parties, also criticised Ms Wood’s choice of words. Leader of the Welsh Conservatives Andrew RT Davies said it was ‘unbelievable’ Ms Wood had speculated it might be linked to a far-right group, while his colleague Janet Finch-Saunders called upon her to apologise or resign: “Politicising terror so fresh after an attack can never be acceptable, and only adds to the hysteria and toxicity of debate,” she claimed.

Ms Wood clarified her remarks, pointing out that IS was a right-wing ideology: “I am staggered by the reaction to the point that Isis and white supremacism both have far right ideologies driving them. Both see their group as superior to others. Both see people who are not in their group fair targets for abuse, violence and even death. Both hate minorities and consider women to be less than men. Both believe in using extreme violence to repress people with different views. This is far right/ fascism ideology. How can it not be?” she asked.

“I can see why this point may upset so many trolls and people who see themselves as being on the far right. The comparison links western racists and white supremacists to their number one hate target and shows them as no better than each other,” Ms Wood somewhat pointedly remarked. “Some of the responses to me making this point have crossed a line and so I will be relaxing my no blocking rule today.

“Events in Barcelona last night were terrifying, yet again. While it’s important, in my view, to say and keep saying that politics and ideology lie behind these acts of violence, my thoughts are first and foremost with the victims of last night’s horror.”

UKIP’s Senedd Leader Neil Hamilton also weighed in. The veteran politician claimed that because Ms Wood had described UKIP as being a far-right party, attributing this atrocity to the far-right was a calculated insult to UKIP and their 132,138 voters.

“Leanne Wood is clearly not fit for purpose. She is an embarrassment not only to Plaid Cymru but to the whole of Wales. When is Rhun ap Iorwerth going to have the courage of his convictions and spark a leadership contest?” he asked.

UKIP are widely described as a right wing populist party rather than as far-right. However, their MEP Mike Hookem quit as Brussel whip after Anne-Marie Waters, who founded pressure group Sharia Watch and who has called Islam a ‘killing machine’, was cleared to run in the leadership contest by the Ukip national executive committee. “If I were to continue in my position of deputy whip, I would be seen as supporting or at the very least turning a blind eye to extreme views and this is not something I am prepared to do,” he remarked.

Mr Hamilton’s belief that a Plaid Cymru leadership contest is imminent appears to be based on a comment by Rhun ap Iorwerth stating that should Ms Wood step down he would happily run for leader.

For some reason, though, commenting last week, the UKIP Wales leader appeared to dismiss Mr ap Iorwerth as a viable candidate, preferring ‘a red-blooded leader like Adam Price or Neil McEvoy, both of whom are very effective AMs, hungry to break the cosy Cardiff Bay consensus’.

“As a real nationalist party, UKIP will be pleased to work with Plaid Cymru to take Wales forward. We need to create an enterprise economy which will end our status as a beggar nation within the UK. Adam Price has seen a bit of the world and understands this. Neil McEvoy similarly never ceases to point out how Labour has utterly failed Wales’s working class,” he added.

It is not known how Mr Price and Mr McEvoy responded to this endorsement.

It is worth noting that other politicians agreed with Ms Wood’s assessment. Labour AM and Counsel General for Wales Mick Antoniw remarked: “Isis is a right wing extremist, fundamentalist ideology. Your description is right. There is nothing to apologise for.”

“These issues can lead to some people losing their homes and create a vicious cycle leading to rough sleeping.

“The recent increase seen in the National Rough Sleeper Count is disappointing in the face of our efforts and investment but I believe it largely reflects the increasing effects of continued austerity, increasing in-work poverty and welfare reforms”.

As well as new funding to their revenue settlements, councils in Wales will receive grant funding of £2.8m in 2018/19 to embed homelessness prevention best practice models which will help to reduce rough sleeping, prevent youth homelessness, improve access to the private rented sector and strengthen services for people with mental health and substance misuse problems.

Rebecca Evans AM also said: “Today I’m publishing a policy document which outlines how Housing First will be taken forward across Wales. There is strong evidence that Housing First works best where its core principles are followed – housing with no strings attached, ready and available support services and access to funds to help meet individuals’ needs.

“I’m also launching our Action Plan to reduce rough sleeping. Developed with organisations including Shelter Cymru, and members of Rough Sleepers Cymru, it covers a range of activity, supporting people to engage with services and get off the streets as quickly as possible. It also addresses wider issues such as a review of priority need and our guidance on cold weather plans.

“Rough sleeping is one aspect of homelessness. We can only truly address the issue if we have a system that offers secure housing for all. Building homes and expanding social housing stock can only go so far and I will work with the private rented sector to find innovative ways to harness their supply and meet demand. I will also be looking at how we continue to reduce the number of homes lying empty.

“The Welsh Government has a good track record of delivery on homelessness prevention and we will continue to provide the leadership to ensure we can end the need for people to sleep rough in Wales.”

Conservative Housing spokesperson David Melding welcomed the initiative, but, speaking outside the chamber, called for the Welsh Government to set a target for ending rough sleeping in Wales.

“We know that in Manchester they have set a highly ambitious target of eradicating rough sleeping by 2020, and the UK Government target is to halve rough sleeping by 2022 with targeted full eradication by 2027. I think that we should be aiming for a more ambitious target than that, perhaps somewhere in between.

“Wales has the potential to be a real leader in this area and so I do hope that the Welsh government step up and tackle this problem once and for all.”

Call for Speaker’s conference on Brexit

THE LLYWYDD of the National Assembly for Wales Elin Jones AM and the Chair of the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee, Mick Antoniw AM, have called for a review of the inter-parliamentary and inter-governmental arrangements relating to the UK’s exit of the EU to ensure that Wales’ voice is heard loud and clear.

Giving evidence to the House of Commons’ Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee (PACAC) inquiry into devolution and Brexit, Mick Antoniw AM referred to the key findings of the Constitutional Affairs Committee’s report “UK governance post-Brexit” published on 2 February. Specifically, he reiterated the report’s recommendation to establish a Speakers’ Conference to improve the way parliaments work together and hold governments of the UK to account.

Mick Antoniw AM said: “A conference involving Speakers and Presiding Officers from all UK legislatures would increase understanding and cooperation between UK parliaments at this crucial time in UK constitutional affairs. Similarly, we need to see a step change in the mechanics for inter-governmental relations. The Joint Ministerial Committee, established in the wake of devolution in the 1990s, simply hasn’t evolved in line with the depth and breadth of the constitutional settlements of the devolved nations. The Committee also wants to see the EU (Withdrawal) Bill amended to put inter-governmental relations on a statutory footing. Currently, the process is driven by personality and makes the Joint Ministerial Committee little more than a speakeasy for Ministers to discuss ideas behind closed doors without any transparency or accountability.

“Now is the time for reviewing these arrangements and to develop UK inter-parliamentary working fit for the purpose of scrutinising the impact of Brexit on the constitutional framework of the UK.”

Llywydd, Elin Jones AM, said “This unique moment in time calls for a unique inter-parliamentary arrangement to scrutinise our respective governments’ arrangements. I welcome and support the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee’s call for the establishment of a formal Speakers’ Conference focused on arrangements for Brexit. Considering the impact of exiting on the range of powers repatriated and then devolved to Wales is particularly crucial as it will determine how quickly we can make decisions for the benefit of our constituents. At a time when most Assembly committees are considering issues related to Brexit as part of their ongoing scrutiny programmes, this is the missing piece of the jigsaw – and one I will be raising with my counterparts in Scotland, Westminster and Northern Ireland at our next speakers’ meeting.”

Conservatives claim email ‘cover up’

A ROW over whether the First Minister permitted an inquiry into his conduct access to his personal emails during a leak inquiry has intensified.

An inquiry recently concluded into whether or not details of the Cabinet reshuffle which led to the dismissal and subsequent death of former Welsh Government Cabinet Secretary Carl Sargeant.

That inquiry found that there was ‘unauthorised’ leak of the reshuffle details, leading to the obvious question as to whether any leaks were ‘authorised’, as it appears beyond question that news of Mr Sargeant’s dismissal was provided to at least two Labour MPs and one journalist.

In addition, the First Minister has refused to confirm that the Permanent Secretary was granted access to his personal emails during the recent leak inquiry.

Last week, in a response to a written question from Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies, Mr Jones said that he did occasionally use a private email address to deal with diary issues and clearing urgent press lines.

On Tuesday, Mr Davies asked the First Minister whether the private email address was used at all to instruct or to brief staff as to press lines in relation to the reshuffle.

After responding ‘No’, Carwyn Jones said that ‘all relevant evidence was made available to the inquiry’.

Mr Davies pressed the point, asking whether access was given to the personal e-mail addresses that Mr Jones uses for Government business
Mr Jones avoided a direct answer, saying: “I can’t comment on what the evidence looked like. All I can say is that all relevant evidence was submitted to the inquiry.”

Responding that ‘it’s not unreasonable to assume that, if there’s an inquiry into leaks from Government, then all correspondence would’ve been made available to the person carrying out the inquiry’, Andrew RT Davies asked for a straight yes or no answer.

The Conservative leader has now suggested that the inference to be drawn from the First Minister’s answers is that the decision as to which evidence was either relevant or irrelevant was down to the First Minister himself.

The Welsh Conservatives are now demanding that the Permanent Secretary re-opens the inquiry, with the Permanent Secretary given “unfettered access” to Carwyn Jones’ personal email address.

In a press statement after First Minister’s Questions, Mr Davies said: “This reeks of a cover up.

“Just last week the First Minister admitted that he uses his personal email account on ministerial business, and now we learn that it is left to him to decide which emails are in the public interest.

“It calls to mind the recent Presidential elections, where public confidence was seriously undermined after allegations relating to the use of personal emails.

“How on earth can we have confidence in the system if the First Minister is the only judge of his own conduct?

“The inquiry must be re-opened, with unfettered access granted to the two email accounts that we know he has used for ministerial business.”

Mr Davies also called for a transparent process to log the use of personal email accounts by Welsh ministers and their advisers.

At present, such correspondence is only picked up by Welsh Government logs where an official email account is ‘copied in to an exchange’ – or where a conversation starts or finishes with an official email account.

He added: “There is nothing to stop the First Minister from emailing advisers directly using private email addresses, and I have no doubt that we would learn a great deal about the way Welsh Government business is conducted if his emails were to be opened up to closer scrutiny.

“We need rigorous checks in place to stop ministers from conducting government business entirely through back channels.

“This kind of practice should be entirely outlawed, except in approved accounts where security is heightened and exchanges are open to scrutiny.”